British politics: The Changing Role of Journalism GV311 Feb 2015 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

British politics: The Changing Role of Journalism

GV311 Feb 2015

Prof Charlie Beckett Director, Polis Dept of Media & Communication

• What is the structural role of journalism in UK

politics and how well does it perform?

• How is political journalism changing?
• What impact might that have on democracy?

How did this….

…lead to this?

It was mainly this

Plus a lot of this

Though it wouldn’t work without this

Unique or a precedent?

• Rochester by-election – damage limitation
• Over-reaction by over-sensitive leader
• Inevitable consequence of febrile networked

political media (and polling day media vacuum)

• Toxic combination of anti-Labour blogger (who

works for) and anti-Labour newspaper

• Genuine problem with core vote perception of

aloof politicians and out of touch Labour elite

What does journalism do for politics?

• Information

[facts, records, statistics, events, policies]

• Deliberation

[debate, analysis, comment, opinion]

• Accountability

[investigation, audit, voice for citizen, campaigns]

History of news: a battle between press & power

History of news: a battle between press & power

• Inns of court: state PR
• Holborn printers – licensed press
• Covent Garden coffee houses – paid hacks
• Reporting parliament – a controlled Lobby
• Broadcasting – public and commercial – all

regulated

• Internet & social media – call for controls

The problem with political journalism is..?

The (politician’s) problem with political journalism is..?

• Unaccountable power
• Bias
• Obsession with process
• Cynicism
• Lack of information
• Lack of expertise
• Loss of local press

The (journalist’s) problem with political journalism is..?

• Lack of resources for (political) journalism
• Government secrecy
• Government and party spin and manipulation
• Disintermediation: increased role of social

networks & public relations

The (public’s) problem with political journalism is..?

• Too complicated
• Too cynical
• Too belligerent, biased
• Too much process
• Boring
• Irrelevant – ‘Westminster

bubble’

• Too simplistic
• Not critical enough
• Too complicit – not critical
• r radical enough
• Sensationalist
• Not informed enough about

realities of policy-making

Press power?

PR power?

Triumph of spin?

LoL

Leveson’s verdict

• Politicians “developed too close a relationship

with the Press in a way which has not been in the public interest’

• Regular political journalism was "in robust

good health and performing the vital public interest functions in a vigorous democracy,"

Networked Journalism

non-political political fora

• General Election TV Debate

Structural change: Mixed media – but all networked

• Traditional

‘legacy’media

• Social news

media

• Social networks

Politicians News Media Public

Political reporting is now networked

Media Politicians Citizens

Redefine ‘Journalist’

• Curator
• Partner
• Social networker
• Specialist

Redefine ‘News’

• (Open) Data
• Transient ‘liquid’ reality
• Relationship not authority
• Contested not objective

What difference does it make?

• Influence – who has it?
• Proportionality – a fair voice?
• Verification – what’s true?
• Acceleration – faster, instant, all the time
• Destabilisation – surprise, ambush, reveal
• Superficiality – attention & distraction
• Fragmentation or diversity?

Filter bubbles?

Filter bubbles?

Distraction?

• 1968 average TV

soundbite 43”

• 1988 average TV

soundbite 9”

• 1892 average

newspaper quote 1.7 column inches

• 1916 average

newspaper quote 1.0 column inch

Distraction?

A challenge to politicians

Challenge to journalists

Real problem is engagement, attention & authenticity

How to get people’s attention

@CharlieBeckett

Prof Charlie Beckett Director, Polis Dept of Media & Communication